How To Choose The Right Litter

Getting all the right toys, grooming supplies or scratching posts pales in comparison to providing your kitty with a clean and comfortable toilet. Apart from picking an adequate litter box, your choice of litter can make or break his or her indoor living experience.

With that in mind, we will discuss what types of litters cats prefer in general and how to choose the best litter for your feline friend, taking into account his or her specific needs.

What Type Of Litter Do Cats Like?

Adopting a new kitty is not the only reason to start researching all the available types of litter and figuring out their numerous advantages and shortcomings. The ultimate purpose of this research is to provide your pet(s) with a comfortable and cozy toilet that will make their life easier and happier. Choosing the wrong kind can result in litter box issues, which is something you definitely want to prevent.

Whether you have just adopted a new furball without knowing his or her litter preference, brought an outdoor kitty indoors or simply have issues with your current litter brand, let us go over some general litter features that will make your little meows as happy as possible.

The best cat litter for your pet needs to feature:

Low Dust Production

Cats do not like dust clouds in their toilets, but these can also be quite harmful if somebody in your home is suffering from allergies. To avoid dust altogether, we recommend going with silica-based litters like PrettyLitter or those made entirely of coconut husks (like CatSpot). You should avoid clay and litters made of recycled newspapers.

Low Tracking

You should pick a litter that will not stick to your pet’s paws once he or she is out of the litter box. It will save your cat a lot of effort trying to clean his or her paws and you will not have to clean your home every day. Any type of clumping litter will do the trick here.

High Comfort

How the litter feels under your pet’s paws plays a huge role in his or her eagerness to use the litter box/pan. Experts claim that cats prefer the feel of clumping litter and that they will not look for other places to do their business if the owner opts for this type of litter.

Additional Tips

This is a list of situational tips that can help you identify your current circumstances and make the best choice when it comes to personalizing your pick to fit your pets.

Don’t Switch The Litter Without A Good Reason

First of all, do not change the litter without a specific reason. Cats are creatures of habit and if they are happy using one brand, they might not react positively to the switch. Remember, it is all about their comfort and happiness, so if your pets visit their litter box regularly, you should not change their current litter.

Price Is Not Everything

You should not judge the quality of the litter by price alone. Some clumping clay litters, for example, are pretty cheap, but your cat(s) is likely to scatter particles all over the house. If you find a cheap brand that both you and your pets can accept, that is fine – but don’t let the price be the sole reason for choosing a specific type.

Think About Your Kitty’s Paws

We already talked about the importance of comfort. Since feline paws are extremely sensitive, some pellets and rough crystals can cause them pain. If your cat does not avoid his or her litter box completely but meows and fusses after every visit, this may be the reason.

Kittens Need Different Types Of Litter

If you have kittens in your household, fine-grained litter is not be the best choice for them as young cats can ingest the tiny particles that can cause serious illness.

Keep The Litter Clean

Even if you choose the most perfect litter ever, failing to keep it clean at all times is likely to result in your pet doing his or her business elsewhere. Cats are very clean and they like their toilets to be clean as well. If you have clumping litter, you need to scoop once or twice a day at a minimum, depending on the number of cats in your home. On the other hand, you can scoop less often with litter crystals.

Never Go Cold Turkey

As we already mentioned, cats are creatures of habit and they may not react positively to new litter if you introduce it out of the blue. You need to let them get used to their new toilet gradually by putting two litter boxes next to each other and just cleaning the new one. If you fail to do so, you may never make the switch, no matter how awesome the new litter is.

It Might Not Be The Litter

Finally, if you have tried introducing several new litter options, but your pet continues to do his or her business outside the litter box, it might be a warning sign of an underlying medical condition, so it may be a good idea to talk to your vet.